The Argus at KellyGang 28/9/1882
THE POLICE COMMISSION
The Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the working and administration of the police force, continued its sitting at the Treasury yesterday. The chairman (Mr F Longmore) presided Messrs Fincham, Hall, and Dixon were also present.
The time of the meetings had been devoted during the last two days to the cross- examination of witnesses who had previously given evidence against officers of police. Briefly summarised this evidence was as follows -Henry Edwards, licensee of the White Hart Hotel, Bourke street, stated that some three or four years ago he had lent Mr Winch small sums of money amounting in all to about £3, which had been repaid. Mr Winch had occasionally taken bottles of liquor home with him at night, which he either paid for at the time or on the following or some subsequent day. He had cashed a post dated cheque for £30 odd for Mr Winch on one occasion, but he did not know it was post dated at the time. The cheque was paid at the time of its maturity. Mr Larner lived at the hotel with his wife for a few weeks on the occasion, and during his residence he borrowed £4 from the bar.
The debt had been recently erased from the books, as the amount was paid. Messrs Young and Jackson the licensees of the Bridge Hotel, at the corner of Swanston and Flinders streets, denied ever having given or lent money to any member of the police force. On one occasion they lent 10s to a constable who was off duty and in private clothes, and the amount was repaid. Joseph Billing, the licensee of Cleal's Hotel, denied ever having lent money to any member of the force, whether officer or private. William Sheeky, landlord of the Victoria Hotel , stated that in March, 1880, he lent Mr Larner £9, and again in March, 1881, he lent him a further sum of £3. Neither amounts had been repaid, but Mr Larner gave him an IOU for £15 to cover the debt.
It had never been paid, and the IOU was produced to the commission. Edward Hayes, of the Devon and Cornwall Hotel, stated that he lent Mr Larner £3 which had never been refunded. He was afraid to apply for payment of the amount for fear he should be harassed in his business by the police. On another occasion Constable Rourke brought him a bill for £32 belonging to Mr Larner, and asked him to discount it, but he declined to do so. James Tierney, Glasgow Arms, Elizabeth street , alleged that he lent Mr Larner £13, for which he received a promissory note. It was not paid to him at maturity, and he handed it over to a relative named Leonard to collect, but he (Tierney) never saw the money again. Michael Tierney, the licensee of the Galway Arms, gave evidence of having lent Mr Larner £3 which had not been repaid. Patrick Hegney, of the Beaufort Hotel, said he occasionally obliged constables with small loans, but he was always repaid. Stephen Stapleton, of the Harp of Erin Hotel, Queen street , denied that he ever lent money to the police.
Andrew M'Cutcheon, an ex senior constable of police, but now licensee of the Horse and Jockey Hotel, Little Bourke street, stated that about five years ago be lent Sergeant O'Meara £12 10s. The money was repaid. He lent £30 to Constable Keheller, now stationed at Ballarat, who was now paying the amount back by instalments. On one occasion Mr Winch asked him for a loan of £60, as he was in difficulties, but he declined on the plea that his barman had robbed him of £300, which left him without £10 in the house. He referred Mr Winch to Mr W Rowe, who then kept the Castlemaine Club Hotel, or to Sergeant Bell, of North Fitzroy, who he believed had had monetary transactions with him Sergeant Bell denied ever having lent Mr Winch any money, with the exception of 25s, which he gave him to make up a fine which he had collected while stationed at Castlemaine.
Constable Weldon gave evidence of having found Mr Winch in a house of ill fame in Lonsdale street , late one night about three years ago, where he (Weldon) attended in consequence of a disturbance taking place there, and the inmates calling for the assistance of the police. Ex Constable Cash and ex Constable White, and Sergeant 0'Sullivan preferred a number of minor charges against Mr Winch as superintendent in charge of the city police.
Sub inspector Larner replied to the charges in a lengthy statement, which he read to the commission on Tuesday morning. He admitted having borrowed the money stated but denied that he had done so as an officer of police. When he received his pro- motion he was compelled to incur heavy expenses, which with some mining losses, made it necessary for him to borrow from his friends to enable him to carry on...
Superintendent Winch read a similar statement, dealing with the charges seriatim. Briefly summarised, his answer to the charges was as follows - Mr Edwards's evidence was perfectly true. He regarded him as an old personal friend, and never considered that he was placing himself under any obligation. It was merely a matter of passing convenience granted as a courtesy to an old friend. In dealing with Andrew M'Cutcheon, he wished it to be distinctly understood that from first to last he impeached his veracity. He never made any application to him for any loan whatever, or asked his advice on the subject, and the statement that he had asked him for a loan of £60 was totally false. He called at M'Cutcheon's hotel on one occasion, and told some one there that he wanted to see him. When M'Cutcheon called at the office, he told him that he had been complained against for keeping a badly conducted house and that as a late member of the force he warned him to mend his ways, and conduct his house better in future. Cautions had frequently been administered to other publicans. He denied ever having adjudicated adversely or unfairly taken down evidence against M'Cutcheon during official inquiries, and he produced the original documents to prove his assertion. M'Cutcheon was thoroughly un-reliable, as would be found by a reference to the official papers.
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